Groundbreaking Plan for Reducing Air Emissions at the Port of Los Angeles Nearing Completion

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Groundbreaking Plan for Reducing Air Emissions at the Port of Los Angeles Nearing Completion

No Net Increase Task Force Concludes Two-Day Meeting to Review Technical Working Group Findings

SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA, Mar. 4 -/E-Wire/Business Wire/-- Following two days of discussion and the review of thousands of hours of port-related smog reduction research, the Port of Los Angeles today announced that it is one step closer to fulfilling Mayor Jim Hahn's unprecedented plan to reduce harmful air emissions in the Harbor.

"I am committed to cleaning up the air that my children and my neighbors breathe in the Harbor and will not rest until my plan for emissions reductions is fulfilled," said Mayor Hahn.

Mayor Hahn's air quality task force, which first assembled last fall at the request of the Mayor and Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who represents the Harbor and surrounding communities, spent the past two days reviewing land- and ocean-emissions reduction strategies. The task force analyzed more than 60 control measures that would improve air quality in the face of port growth forecasts through 2025. The task force will next present Mayor Hahn with an overview of the strategies under consideration for returning port-related nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions to 2001 levels, despite the Port's projected growth.

The task force is made up of environmental consultants and representatives of regulatory agencies, the maritime industry, labor unions, environmental organizations, and the community.

Mayor Hahn's emissions reduction plan will lower and control harmful air emissions from the ships, trucks and rail operations and improve the quality of the air all over Southern California while setting the bar for air quality strategies that can be implemented at ports nationwide and throughout the world.

"This process will help us get some real recommendations that include input from the community. The Harbor Area communities are not against growth at the port, but we cannot sacrifice clean air for that growth. This task force will provide a good standard by which we can hold the port accountable," said Harbor area Councilwoman Janice Hahn. "We are one step closer to having both a port that is the thriving economic engine for the region, and also having healthy Harbor area communities. We can and will attain the Mayor's goal of no-net increase in air emissions."

In a joint statement, Harbor Commissioners and task force co-chairs Thomas Warren and Camilla Townsend added: "The magnitude of this effort is still hard to grasp when one takes into consideration all the trucks, rail, harbor craft, yard equipment and ships that make the Port of Los Angeles the largest cargo gateway into the U.S. To that end, we commend the members of the technical working group, and the task force at large, for providing their critical expertise and unwavering commitment to this comprehensive project. They are pioneering a course for other ports to follow in the coming years."

As the technical phase of the project concludes, the task force will regroup in April to start reviewing legal, policy and financial considerations and implementation planning related to the emissions reductions strategies it will ultimately deliver to Mayor Hahn.

The Port of Los Angeles is America's premier port. As the leading container port in the nation and a critical hub in the international supply chain, the Port generates thousands of stable jobs with medical and pension benefits. It has also placed a high priority on responsible growth initiatives combined with high security, environmental stewardship and community outreach. The Port of Los Angeles is a proprietary, self-supported department of the City of Los Angeles. The Port of Los Angeles. . . Anchoring a bright future.

CONTACT: The Port of Los Angeles Theresa Adams Lopez, (310) 732-3507

The Port of Los Angeles

Theresa Adams Lopez (310) 732-3507

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